A stylized image built around contrast, artificial color, and a digital atmosphere that feels intense and cinematic.
I took multiple pictures using different filters and expressions—exaggerated faces with heightened moods—to artistically express the various sides of myself. I wanted to capture the different stages of mania, depression, and anxiety, showing how each one manifests as a distinct phase of my experience.
My approach was inspired by the vibrant colors of Andy Warhol—very pop art, avant-garde, and expressive. I used a spectrum from bright reds to pale blues to map my internal states. The blues represent a depressive state; specifically, a dark blue mixed with a red that barely shows any vitality—that is the depression. Then there is the anxiety, shown in light blue with hints of red, because for me, anxiety often leads into mania. The mania itself is represented by a bright, piercing red. Finally, there is the 'in-between' state: a pink mixed with slight red and a bit of blue that equilibrates everything. This was my way of externalizing what I felt, creating a collage of the different faces of my mood. It’s like when a psychologist asks, 'How are you feeling and why?'—but I’m answering that question through an artistic lens.
The pink state feels the most like my natural self, but all these facets are me because I am all those things—and more—at different times. When the bright reds and the pale blues converge, they create that pink middle ground where I’m fighting to be myself without being drowned by depression or overtaken by rage. However, I know that a single shift in my environment can trigger either extreme. That is why I ensured these photos were exaggerated; they weren't posed to be pretty. They were meant to be raw and expressive of rage, anger, and fear. By using these heightened expressions, I’m capturing the true facets of my experience rather than just a curated image